A 69-year-old man of French nationality, with a record of racist violence and released from prison about ten days ago, shot dead in central Paris, near a Kurdish cultural center, killing three people.
Other people have been injured.
The man was arrested and is now in the hospital.
Clashes and throwing of objects
against the police are underway
in the Kurdish neighborhood, a hundred meters from the site of the shooting, where members of the Kurdish community have gathered to shout their anger.
Part of the spontaneous demonstration has degenerated into clashes with the police who are throwing tear gas.
In the area, in the neighborhood around rue d'Enghien and the Faubourg Saint-Martin - in the heart of Paris - tension is skyrocketing with fires in the street, booing, clashes with police in riot gear.
According to BFMTV, the demonstrators are protesting against the government and the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, for failing to guarantee the protection of the Kurdish community in Paris.
THE SHOOTING
The events took place just before noon, in the tenth arrondissement of the capital.
The man fired at the Kurdish cultural center in rue d'Enghien, but also at a Kurdish restaurant and a hairdresser.
The witnesses are in shock.
"Seven, eight, shooting in the street,
it was total panic
," says a shopkeeper.
The man was already known to the police: he had been investigated last year for attempted murder and racist violence after attacking a Paris migrant camp armed with a saber.
THE PROTEST IN THE KURDIAN QUARTER
At least five French officers were injured during violent clashes with demonstrators in the Faubourg Saint-Denis district: police sources quoted by Bfmtv reported.
Tensions remain very high in the area, with police in riot gear trying to disperse the demonstrators amidst charges and tear gas after the visit of the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
The protesters accuse the state of not having sufficiently protected the Kurdish community and of having let the 69-year-old man go free who this morning killed three people in front of the Kurdish cultural centre.
THE FATHER OF THE KILLER: MY SON A CRAZY
"He's a madman, an imbecile": says the father of the author of this morning's attack in Paris, interviewed exclusively by M6.
For him, his 69-year-old son, a retired former railway worker, is "an introvert" who "didn't live like everyone else".
His gesture is that of a "crazy man", regrets the elderly parent who is still in shock.
Released from the Paris prison of Santé just eleven days ago, his father and mother had welcomed him into their home: "Last night he played Scrabble with his mother, they were fine. She was happy and so was he. We said to each other: 'He'll go back to right way'".
"My wife went out of her way to be nice," he added.
When he learned of what happened this morning he shouted: "Oh, no! He's not going to start again!".
POLITICAL REACTIONS
"The Kurds of France have been the target of a heinous attack in the heart of Paris. Thoughts to the victims and people fighting for their lives, their families and loved ones. Thanks to our law enforcement agencies for their courage and their coolness," wrote French President
Emmanuel Macron
in a tweet .
"The Kurdish community and all Parisians have been affected by these murders perpetrated by a far-right militant. Kurds, wherever they reside, must be able to live in peace and security. More than ever, Paris is on their side in these moments dark", writes the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
"Our thoughts go to the families of those affected by this terrible tragedy," writes
Marine Le Pen
.
"Sadness and anger before the terrorist attack on the Kurdish cultural center Ahmet Kaya in Paris. About ten years ago, two Kurdish leaders were assassinated in the heart of Paris. Enough! Protection for our Kurdish allies everywhere", comments the leader of France Insoumise,
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
.
